Electric igniter for gas-engines.



N0. 635,506. Patented Oct. 24, I899;

12. E. uLns. ELECTRIC IGNITER FOB GAS'ENGINES.

' (Application filed Apr. 20, 1898.) (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l Lvfeivfa 2 fia/n/es'o 172/27. 0/055.

Paitented Bot. .24, I899.

1:; E. oLns. ELECTRIC IGNITER FOR GAS ENGINES.

(Application filed Apr. 20,1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

PIP, w

fi m m mam E /M 1 :ns co. maroum RANSOM E. OLDS, OF LANSING, MICHIGAN.

ELECTRIC IGNITER FOR GAS-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming art of Letters Patent No. 635,506, dated October 24, 1899.

Application filed April 20, 1898. Serial No. 678,222. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RANSOM E. OLDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lansing,-

the engine exceeds its normal rate of speed.

To this end my invention consists in the peculiar construction, arrangement, and operation of a fixed and a movable electrode provided with means for actuating said movable contact by the movement of the engine,

and, further, in a regulating device whereby said movement is controlled by the movement of the exhaust-valve, all as more fully hereinafter described, and shown in the drawings, in which- 7 Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a gas-engine to which my invention is shown applied. Fig. 2 is a plan thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan of the electrical igniter. Fig. 4 is a vertical section thereof. Fig. 5 is a section on line w m, Fig. 4.

The engine representedin the drawings and to which my present invention is shown to be applied is the one described in United States Letters Patent No, 565,7 86. Briefiydescribed, its construction and operation are as follows:

A is the cylinder.

B is the valve-chest.

C is a passage leading from the valve-chest into the cylinder.

D isthe inlet-valve, controlling the inflow of the vapor from the valve chest into the passage 0, and E is the exhaust-valve, controlling the outflow of the exhaust from the passage 0, through the valve-chest, into the atmosphere. The exhaust-valve E is secured upon a valve-stem E, which carries a collar E and a spring E upon this valve-stem tends to automatically seat the exhaust-valve. The

induction-valve D has a valve-stem D, which carries a coil-spring D arranged to automatically seat the induction-valve. The valves D and E are placed opposite each other and move in opposite directions to open and close their respective ports. The exhaust-valve controls the opening of the inlet valve by means of an extension E of its valve-stem projecting loosely into the valve-stem D and abutting against a spring D seated therein.

The exhaust-valve is operated by an eccentric F on the engine-shaft F, which reciprocatingly minutes a slide G, carrying on a shaft G a notched wheel H, so arranged that at every reciprocation of the shaft a dog H, acting through a ratchet on the wheel H, causes this wheel to turn intermittently and alternately present its full face or a notch against the end of the Valve-stem E, and thereby causing the opening of the exhaustvalve at every other stroke only, as required by the operation of this type of engine.

The induction-valve is opened by the suc-.

tion created in the cylinder by the movement of the piston, and it is automatically closed after induction has taken place by the spring D When the exhaust-valve is open, however, its stem E compresses the spring D and thereby prevents any opening of the induction-valve. The opening of the latter is therefore dependent upon the closing of the exhaust-valve. Based upon this relation of the two valves a regulating device is provided whereby the induction-valve does not open when the engine exceeds its normal speed. To this end the slide G carriesa pendulum-weight I, which is prevented from vibrating freely by a spring I pressing against the squared upper end of the pendulum-rod. This pendulum carries an arm J, extending just below a latch-bar J", pivotally secured at J and adapted to engage with a projecting shoulder K on the fixed collar E all so arranged that when the engine is going at too great a speed the pendulous movement of the weight I lifts the latch-bar J, through the medium of the arm J, sufficiently to engage the shoulder K, as shown in Fig. 1, and thereby prevent the exhaust-valve from closing, as in the normal operation of the engine, and the induction-valve in turn therefore remains closed and no induction of gas takes place until the engine has slowed down to its normal speed.

My invention is applied to this engine in the following manner: L is the igniting-chamber, communicating through a passage L with the eylin der, and L is a cover removably closing the top of this chamber. In this cover is secured, suitably insulated therefrom, the fixed electrode M, to which one terminal of the electric circuit for producing the spark is connected. Nis the other electrode. This extends through a guide-bearing in the cover oppositely to an arm M on the fixed electrode. The electrode N is provided at its lower end with an enlargement or stop N, and at its upper end it has a head or stop N and O is a bell-crank pivotally secured at O to a standard O and engaging with the electrode N. The electrode N has two coil-springs P I the former interposed between the bell-crank takes in the reciprocating movement of the eccentric I Beneath the arm Q is located another arm S, the free end of which is supported by an eccentric rest T, while its opposite end is connected to the stem of the exhaust-valve, and consequently partakes in the movement of said valve. The free end of this arm is provided with a bevel S, and a corresponding bevel Q is formed on the under side of the arm Q.

In practice the igniter being arranged and constructed as shown and described it is intended to operate as follows: In the forward movement of the eccentric F the arm Q will be carried in the same direction and cause its hook Q to engage the bell-crank O and rock the same 011 its pivot. The rock-arm pressing on the spring P will thus push the electrode N into the gas-chamber into contact with the electrode M, and a further movement of the bell-crank will merely compress the springs P and I until the bevel Q of the arm Q will strike the bevel S of the arm S, and thereby lift the arm Q and disengage its hook from the bell-crank. At this movement the spring P, being under compression, will instantly react and cause the free arm of the bell-crank to fly against the head N which acts as a stop, and thereby causes a sudden separation of the electrodes, which causes the production of the igniting-spark. In thenormal operation the spark, however, will be produced only at every other revolution of the shaft I as by the opening of the exhaustvalve in the succeeding revolution of the shaft the arm S, which moves with it, is carried forward enough to cause its beveltolift the arm Q and disengage it from the bell-crank, so that itcannot actuate the bell-crank to produce a spark. The same thing of course will take place when by the action of the regulator the exhaust-valve is prevented from closing, as it will do when the engine exceeds its prescribed rate of speed, and thus the regulator prevents the production ofa spark when there is no gas to explode, and consequently the batterypower is not wasted, as it would be otherwise. The spring I being normally compressed draws the head N of the removable electrode tight against the under side of the cover, and thereby prevents any gas from leaking out, and with the adjustments pro vided for both electrodes any wear may be taken up.

T is an eccentric adjustably sleeved upon the screw-bolt T, which is secured to the standard 0. This eccentric forms a vertical adjustable rest for the arm 3, and by its adjustment the point of ignition may be easily regulated.

' In the drawings I have shown handle or lever for actuating the bell-crank O by hand in starting the engine.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is 1. In an electric igniter, the combination of a lixed electrode, a longitudinally-sliding electrode provided with two stops, an actuating-lever, one arm of which loosely engages said electrode between said stops, a spring interposed between the lever and one of said stops, a spring urging the lever in one direction and means for actuating said lever in the otherdireetion and suddenly releasing the same.

2. I11 an electric igniter, the combination of a fixed electrode, a longitudinally-sliding electrode, a stop therefor to limit its movement from the fixed electrode, an actuatinglever, one arm of which loosely engages said electrode, two stops on the sliding electrode for actuating the same in opposite directions by the movement of said arm of the lover, a spring interposed between said arm and one of said stops, a spring urging said lever in one direction, and a hooked arm loosely engaging with the other arm of the lever and adapted to actuate said lever in the other direction.

3. In an electric igniter, the combination with the ignition-chamber and fixed electrode inelosed within said chamber, of a longitudinally-sliding electrode projecting into said chamber and adapted to contact with the fixed electrode, a stop on the outer end of said sliding electrode, a lever, one arm of which loosely engages said sliding electrode beneath said stop, a stop on the electrode beneath said arm of the lever, a spring interposed between said arm and last-mentioned stop, a spring urging the lever to withdraw the sliding electrode from contact with the fixed electrode, a stop on the lower end of the sliding electrode to limit the movement of said lever, and means for actuating the lever.

4. In an electric igniter, the combination with the ignition-chamber and fixed electrode inclosed therein and provided with an arm, of a longitudinally-sliding electrode projectend of said electrode within the ignitionchamber, a bell-crank lever, one arm of which loosely engages said sliding electrode, two stops on said sliding electrode, one above and one below said arm of the lever, a spring interposed between the last-named stop and the arm of the lever, a spring adapted to urge said lever in one direction and a reciprocating arm loosely engaging the other arm of the lever and provided with a hook for actuating the lever.

5. In an electric igniter, the combination with the ignition-chamber and fixed electrode inclosed therein, of the sliding electrode N provided at its lower end with the enlargement or stop N inclosed within the ignitionchamber and adapted to seat against the wall thereof, the stops N N on said sliding elec trode, the lever 0, one arm of which engages loosely with the sliding electrode between said stops, the spring P interposed between said lever and the stop N the spring P urging the lever in one direction, the reciprocating arm Q engaging in a guide-bearing on the other arm of the lever and provided with the hook Q and means for releasing said hook from the lever.

6. In an electric igniter, the combination Wit-h the movable electrode and the lever arranged to move said electrode in one direction, an arm operated by the engine to actuate said lever in said direction, means automatically controlled by the movement of the exhaust-valve to release said arm from the lever and a spring to automatically move the lever in the other direction when released.

7. In agas-engine, having its exhaust-valve controlled by a regulator, the combination of an electric igniter having its movable contact ing into said chamber, a stop on the lower operated by a connection with a movable part of the engine, and means for controlling said connection by the movement of the exhaustvalve.

8. In a gas-engine having an automaticallyoperating inlet-valve and an automaticallyclosing exhaust-valve controlling said inletvalve, the combination with a regulator controlling the closing of theeXhaust-valve, of an electric igniting device operated by the movement of the engine, and means operated by the movement of the exhaust-valve for controlling the ignit-ing device.

9. In a gas-engine, the combination of an. automatically-operating inlet-valve, an automatically-closing exhaust-valve controlling said inlet-valve, a regulator controlling the closing of said exhaust-valve, an electric igniter having a movable contact actuating con nection for operating said contact by the movement of the engine, the hooked arm Q in said connection and the arm S connected to the stem of the exhaust-valve, said arms Q and S having the bevels Q and S operating to disconnect the arm Q under control of the exhaust-valve.

10. In a gas-engine igniter, the combination of the sliding electrode, the lever arranged to move said electrode in onedirection,the spring actuating said lever in the other direction, the reciprocating arm Q, the hook on said arm adapting it to engage with and move said le= ver, the arm S operated by the movement of the exhaust-valve, the eccentric rest T sup porting said arm, and the bevels Q and S on said arms operating to disengage the arm Q from the lever under the control of the exhaust-valve.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RANSOM E. OLDS.

Witnesses:

CHARLES F. HAMMOND, RALPH J. GARLICK. 

